Hacking Into Healing: The REAL Future of Medicine

Investigating the "Impossible"
About 40 years ago, a group of microbiologists, behavioral scientists, and medical doctors in laboratories from UCLA to Russia proposed, based on their carefully conducted, independent studies, a completely heretical idea: that the brain, immune, and hormonal systems were connected -- and that emotions had a major influence on the body.

They were completely laughed at by the scientific and medical community. Some were denied tenure. They were sometimes shut out of university laboratories for their "psychological nonsense."

Nevertheless, they persisted with the idea, and with their tenacity and vision, as well as years of careful research in the laboratory, founded the field that we now know as psychoneuroimmunology, or PNI.

Fortunately for us, these scientists persisted -- and paved a path that has had tremendous impact on our understanding of health and medicine. Forty years later, the fact that the nervous system, the immune system, and the endocrine system are connected is now a given, and nearly every day we are reading about exciting developments in these fields, such as the contributions of the vagus nerve in immune and brain communication, and the recent paper in Nature reporting the existence of functional lymphatic vessels in the brain -- something that again, was thought to be impossible. We've learned about the power of our own emotional states on our immunity -- and how our mental state plays a role in certain disease risks -- in some cases, even helping predict how long we live.

Hacking the Body Electric

In parallel with these advances in PNI, we are seeing a rise in bioelectromagnetic medicine -- including brain stimulation. These new devices -- based on the mapping of the body's responses to magnetic and electrical stimulation -- are being heralded as the "Future of Medicine" -- and some show tremendous promise in helping forward better treatment of certain diseases.

Unfortunately, the devices that could mitigate diseases, can also serve to disempower us, if used improperly. The fervor for these devices doesn't just stop at finding new solutions for cancer or Alzheimer's disease -- corporate interests are pushing the development of devices down to "fixing" our mood and even our eating patterns. Feeling sad or out of sorts, or need to obliterate that hunger craving? No problem, a brain zap can fix that. There are plenty of folks ready to sell you such devices, whether or not they actually are based on sound scientific evidence. Some people are also creating DIY brain stimulation devices for home use to treat depression and enhance attention, which is not safe.

Is the "New Medicine" really based on Ancient Medicine?

While industry focuses on devices that can be sold as the next new medicine, some scientists have been uncovering the effects of ancient medicine -- mind-body-spirit practices such as yoga, meditation, tai-chi and even energy healing on psychological, neural, immune, and endocrine outcomes for patients including those with PTSD, cancer, and cardiovascular disease.

The interesting thing is that the health impact of these practices, which have been part of global cultures for thousands of years, were mapped out long ago by the sages that had discovered and shared them. The described "mechanism of action" circulated around the understanding that these are spiritual practices that have a strong influence on the subtle energy system (part of what we now call in the West the "Biofield"), and through refining ourselves spiritually, positive shifts occur in our emotional, mental and physical well-being.

The Future of Medicine is Up to Us
However, similar to the collaborations and dedication that resulted in the new field and advances of psychoneuroimmunology, a group of scientists as well as practitioners in diverse disciplines (including physics, biophysics, microbiology, psychology, endocrinology, technology, medicine, contemplative practice and the healing arts), are joining together to collectively advance the totality of understanding on the role of the consciousness in healing, including mapping the impact of mind-body-spirit practices on the biofield and health. This group of scientists, practitioners, and educators, who are part of the Consciousness and Healing Initiative, are ready to take the bold steps needed to rigorously ask and answer the harder questions -- what is the role of our own consciousness in influencing our biology? How deeply can we guide and facilitate our own healing through our emotions, behavior, social, and spiritual connections, and how can we harness these effects to promote better health for ourselves, our communities and our planet? Scientific research that examines us as the agents of change for our own healing, would help to herald a true shift in the practice of medicine.

With these new advances in science, we have a choice to shape the new paradigm in health and medicine. We can choose to watch as industry dollars utilize scientific advances to advance the next wave of Big Pharma, or we can choose to support research that will irrefutably map the impact of our consciousness on our own health, so that we can better directly heal ourselves and prevent disease before it starts. We must choose not to lose the psyche in psychoneuroimmunology, and support the research and education that will truly empower our own health and healing, to usher in the real Future of Medicine.

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PORTFOLIO & CV/RESUME

BIODATA

Associate Professor of electronic and new media arts, transmedia explorer and jolly good bundles of energy in myriads of continuously emerging positive frequencies. A stubborn idealist, persistent gardener of fine heart and mindfull neural innernet through his Kebun Jiwa Halus. Love and happy to connect with likewise frequencies within and across the vast transhuman universal consciousness. He feels that humanity as a form of neural network is currently experiencing a toxic discharge of healing crisis, a prelude for post info-age global awakening and return to quantum Oneness. He is currenty mastering the zen of doing no-thing, whilst enjoying the bliss of being and living in the moment of now and every now.

BAYANG PANJANG (LONG SHADOW)

The youngest son of Saidon Pandak Noh and Jamaliah Noordin, Hasnul received his initial Diploma in Art & Design (Fine Art) from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) in 1988, followed by a BFA in Painting from Southern Illinois University USA in 1991 and an MFA in Electronic Arts from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, USA in 1993.

Throughout his creative practice, Hasnul has been engaged in various states of trans-disciplinary and multi-dimensional being. Amongst them include working in painting, drawing, installation, digital print, video and new media art, exhibition design, stage design, graphic and communication design. Known as one of the early proponents of electronic, video and new media art in Malaysia and South East Asia, Hasnul has also participated in many international and local exhibitions and screenings, including for example, the 2nd. Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art in Brisbane Australia. His works have been exhibited and screened in Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Australia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Hawaii, Republic of Cezch, Denmark, Spain, Sweeden, Canada and the United States of America.

Hasnul's key academic contribution centered around devising and teaching courses that merge creative practice, new media technology with critical theories and cultural studies such as media & process, expanded media, electronic art, advanced electronic art, new media theory and criticism, history of new media, digital design, cross-cultural design and experimental video at several key institutions of higher learning in Malaysia which include UiTM, UNIMAS, Cenfad and USM. Hasnul had also taught drawing and painting at these institutions.

Hasnul's intellectual and academic contributions can be traced through his appointment as the Head of Fine Art Program (1997-1998) and Deputy Dean at the Faculty of Applied & Creative Arts, UNIMAS (1999-2000); Head of Design & New Media department at Cenfad (2000-2001); Chairman of Design Department (2003-2004), Deputy Dean of Arts & Cultural Development (2004-2005) at the School of the Arts, USM ; Director of Muzium & Galeri Tuanku Fauziah (MGTF, Tuanku Fauziah Museum & Gallery) USM (2005-2012). He was also the Vice-President of UMnet interim committee (University Museum Network Southeast Asia) (2010-1011), board member of the Penang State Museum & Gallery (2006-2012), a member of the National Visual Art Development Board (2012-2013) and a panel member of the National Heritage Objects (Fine Art) (2010-2012).

He has a vast practical and hands-on experience in visual art education and curriculum development as implied by his appointment as the chairman of curriculum design development committees for degree programs in Integrated Arts at UNIMAS (1997) and New Media Design & Technology at USM (2004), advisory panel, program and course evaluator for proposed Diploma in Animation at ASWARA (2011), degree program in Visual Art Technology at UMS (2012) , key courses in Creative Technology & Heritage Program UMK (2011) and UPSI (2004), external examiner for undergraduate projects and graduate theses for UM, UNIMAS and UMS (since 2006) and curriculum development panel member for Fine Art Program, UNIMAS (1994-1998), New Media Design, Cenfad (2000), Visual Art Technology Program, UMS (2004), and Fine art Program, ASWARA(2006). Hasnul had also been invited several times as a visiting lecturer in Media & Process and Expanded Media at UNIMAS. These programs have churned out new generations of lecturers, researchers, art administrators, curators, designers, writers and visual artists who are playing critical roles in their respective field of work. In fact, three of the graduates from UNIMAS have become heads of department at three major universities in Malaysia.

Hasnul's services in the field of creative practice and visual art are attested by his appointment as the Director and Chairman of Sparkles in Penang for 1MCAT (1 Malaysia Contemporary Art Tourism) 2010, Insights Penang for 1MCAT 2011 and reGENEration Penang 1MCAT 2012. He has also been sought after for his advise, consultation and expertise on many different dimensions of creative practice and visual art in Malaysia by individuals, schools, organizations, private and government institutions. He has also contributed significantly in the success of several visual artists in Malaysia through his curatorial works and writings.

Hasnul has written and edited several books and numerous articles on different aspects of contemporary art practice in Malaysia. His research interests include electronic, video and new media art practice in Malaysia, trans-disciplinary practice and the convergence of the arts and sciences, creativity and spirituality, curatorial paradigm, exhibition design and technology, audience research, collection management, museum and gallery transformation. In 2003, he was awarded a researcher in residence grant by the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, Japan, to study new media art practice in Japan. Hasnul has also been invited as a lead researcher, guest writer and curator for several exhibition projects by the National Visual Art Gallery of Malaysia as well as numerous other public and private galleries. He had presented his papers in many countries such as Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, the Philippines, Japan and China.

From 2005 until 2012, Hasnul expanded his frequencies into the domain of obscured dwellers in the vicinity of MGTF USM, Penang, under the pretext of his position then as the Director of the Museum. For seven years, MGTF USM was his creative playground, experimental site, research lab and data repository for a sustainable museum & gallery transformation.

Hasnul’s favorite creative interference is performing his own song and composition in small-scale concerts to keep his romantic side alive and healthy. When life is more forgiving, Hasnul can be seen tending his garden or decorating his home. He is also a full-time husband, blessed with a faithful wife and three beautiful princesses.

When his quantum fluctuations are silenced, Hasnul likes to reflects upon the fact that his creative practice had at times saved him from his own self, his fluctuating temperament, lousy self financial management and unpredictable compulsion.